By The opinion
02 Aug 2024, 11:34 AM EDT
Beginning Thursday, August 1, for the first time in U.S. history, A judge may order that child rapists have their testicles removed if the victim is under 13 years old and if the aggressor is over 17. The law already allowed judges to issue an order for chemical castration, but now surgical castration has been approved.
“At the end of the day, I hope that children know that they can feel safer because there will be some really tough criminal actions that will be applied when someone violates their innocence,” said the bill’s author, Democratic Sen. Regina Barrow.
The law also includes the crime of pornography involving minors as an underlying offense, and is not limited to just male offenders, either.
“Unfortunately, Women are also abusing children and that is a very sad thing to see and hear,” Barrow added.
However, there are some circumstances where the convicted offender might not qualify for the procedure, but that would be up to the judge and a doctor from the State Department of Corrections.
A cruel and unusual punishment?
Attorney Jill Craft says she understands what the law is intended to do, but says she expects it will be challenged in court, arguing that it falls under cruel and unusual punishment.
According to Craft, apart from Louisiana, The only other places in the world that allow surgical castration are Madagascar, the Czech Republic and a state in Nigeria..
Chemical castration uses drugs that block testosterone production to decrease sexual desire, while surgical castration is a much more invasive procedure that involves the removal of both testicles.
Senator Barrow says she ultimately hopes that, at the very least, this new law will serve as a deterrent to would-be child rapists.
Keep reading:
– A Louisiana man was sentenced to physical castration and 50 years in prison for raping a minor.
– Alabama man sentenced to death for raping and killing a girl after “buying” her from her mother for $2,500.